Transcript Keeping up to Date with Measuring Communication Effectiveness

Effective Measurement for
Internal Communication
- five key steps
Presented by: Susan Walker
Communication Alignment Evaluation Solutions
[email protected]
e mail: [email protected]
Five key steps for success:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Clear – and achievable - objectives
Involve colleagues
Build on firm foundations
Tell the story – get below the figures
Identify clear action points
Effective communication measurement
Action
Feedback
Maximum impact on engagement
Aligned with the business
Commitment at all levels
Interpretation and understanding
Segmented for senior and line
management, functions, employees
Process
Development
High response rate
Efficient and effective
Clear stages and outputs
Building on previous research
Engagement: employer & business
Existing models
Divisional flexibility
Clear objectives: measure all three M’s
Media
Messages
Meaning
Sunday Times Best Companies
These are some of the characteristics of the “best”
companies in terms of their communication. The
main themes emerging are:
 personal involvement/time/visibility of the
MD/CEO
 opportunities/encouragement of upward
communication: both questions/suggestions and
ideas
 more use of new media such as blogs
Involve: colleagues with development and feedback
GROUP BOARD
Strategic
corporate
actions
LINE MANAGERS
Tactical
local actions
FUNCTIONS
Function
based action
INTERNAL COMMS
Strengthen
Refocus
Stop
MEASUREMENT
DATA
Communication links with the bottom line
IABC research reveals four key links:
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•
•
•
Clarity of purpose/direction
Effective interfaces (interactive relationships)
Effective information (sharing best practice)
Leadership communication
Source: International Association of Business Communicators Research Foundation
Firm foundations: select methodology
• Desk Research
• Qualitative
• focus groups
• in depth interviews
• Quantitative
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•
•
•
•
telephone
face to face
postal
group self-completion
electronic
Firm foundations: objective questionnaire design
1. No leading questions
2. Balanced scales
3. “Don’t knows” an important group
4. Negatively phrased questions prevent
“yea saying”
5. Variety of question types
Must be tested before going live
Firm foundations: sample or census
1. Is a sample or census needed?
2. Sample size depends on size of
organisation
3. Need to consider possible response rates
4. Think about what groups of employees
you want to look at/likely response rate
5. If you sample disproportionately, you
can weight the final results to reflect the
profile of your audience
Firm foundation: Statistics
1. Don’t disregard as “boring”
2. Reliability can make the difference between
accurate/inaccurate facts for decision making
3. Formula to work out whether results
are statistically reliable or not
4. Use this for ease:
www.surveysystem.com/sscalc.htm
5. Communicate to other users which
differences are significant
Firm foundations: maximising response rates
1. Communicate process and timelines
2. Avoid difficult/busy times
3. Give sufficient time for responses and have a simple,
short questionnaire
4. Allow working time for completion
5. Have response targets for line managers – and
update them on levels
Tell the story: data into management information
Trend Data
Models
e.g. trust
Perspective
Measurement
Special
audiences
Engagement
e.g. managers
Key driver
analysis
Tell the story: where will you get maximum impact?
Biggest Those people who find communication good are most closely correlated with positivity about:
drivers
Major
projects/initiatives
Future
business plans
Credibility
Leadership
confidence
Good employer
IMPACT
Trust
Informed
new initiative
Work in
these
areas
will
improve
Internal
comms
Tell the story: where will you get maximum impact?
Biggest
drivers
Communication performance
Major
projects/initiatives
54%
Future
business plans
59%
61%
Credibility
Leadership
confidence
45%
65%
Good employer
IMPACT
Trust
Informed
new initiative
Work in
these
areas
will
improve
Internal
comms
45%
54%
Key action
areas are in red
Tell the story: discover and use models
Perceived
business
effectiveness
Competence
Openness
& honesty
Organisational
trust
Concern for
employees
Job
satisfaction
Reliability
Identification
International Association of Business
Communicators trust model
Tell the story: people profile
High “Body but not mind”
It’s a great
employer
20%
“Engaged”
30%
“Fence sitters”
35%
Disengaged”
10%
Low
Low
“Ready to go”
5%
It’s a great business
High
Tell the story: link with business measures
Product knowledge
Staff enthusiasm
Product range
Speed of response
Price
Quality
Availability
What
staff
think
What
customers
think
Action planning: assess actions and prioritise
Cost
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= possible action points
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Benefit
Remember: one chart can tell the story…
Fencesitters
Still in the
past
16%
22%
Convinced
42%
20%
Change
champions
How engaged are your people with the change journey…
(Based on William Bridges transition model